Canadian recycling firms sign EPR agreement

StewardChoice Enterprises Inc., a company that provides packaging stewardship options for consumer products firms, and the Ontario-based waste management firm Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. have signed an agreement to provide what they call “market-based choices for expanding producer-funded collection and recycling services for packaging and printed paper in the province of British Columbia.”

Progressive Waste Solutions is the first waste and recycling collection company to work with StewardChoice, which is headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia.

“We are very pleased to have Progressive Waste Solutions come on board to support the development of the new EPR [extended producer responsibility] program,” says Neil Hastie, StewardChoice Enterprises’ development director.

The initial focus of the proposed program is to provide producer-funded collection and recycling to residents who are currently not being serviced, particularly those living in multifamily dwellings. According to StewardChoice, more than 20 percent of these households in British Columbia do not receive a producer-funded recycling service.

“We believe that open and competitive markets provide producers and other stakeholders with cost-efficient collection and recycling services and facilitates more innovation in the marketplace,” says Tom Loewen, Progressive area manager for British Columbia. “This proposed program is also consistent with the British Columbia government's desire to encourage more private sector investment and innovation in the province.”

StewardChoice says its draft stewardship plan will offer producers an opportunity to fulfill their legal obligations under the BC Recycling Regulation to recover at least 75 percent of their packaging and printed paper.

In June 2014, StewardChoice released its draft plan for public consultation. Prior to submitting the final plan to the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, StewardChoice says it will engage in public consultation with stakeholders over a minimum 45-day period as required by the Ministry. If the plan is approved, the new recycling service will commence as early as 2015, initially in multifamily buildings.